202: Goodnight Universe (with Jill Grodt - The Indie Informer)
Dave is joined by Jill Grodt (The Indie Informer) to discuss Nice Dreams and Skybound Games' 2025 webcam-based interactive narrative game, Goodnight Universe.
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (aphid.fireside.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson
Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog
Goodnight Universe had a lot to live up to as the spiritual successor to Before Your Eyes, utilizing the same innovative webcam-based gameplay mechanics to tell a story...about a psychic baby? Well, the premise sounded weird but these creators had earned my trust, and it turns out that this might be the perfect way to play as a baby in a video game. Goodnight Universe turned out to be interesting, if not great, and won me over in a few key ways. Check out the discussion for more!
Guest info: Jill Grodt (she/her)
- Read Jill's work at The Indie Informer https://the-indie-in-former.com/
- Find The Indie Council podcast here https://www.youtube.com/@theindieinformer
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 Title Card
- 0:30 Introductions
- 8:01 Our Histories with Goodnight Universe
- 11:51 Opening Thoughts About Goodnight Universe
- 17:49 Story Setup, Characters and "The Cave"
- 31:28 Camera Tracking Tech & Gameplay
- 41:06 What Didn't Work?
- 52:28 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations
- 55:36 The Indie Informer
- 59:27 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
- 1:01:00 Spoiler Section- Big Reveals
- 1:27:35 Spoiler Section- The Family
Music used in the episode is credited to Oliver Lewin. Tracks used: Homecoming, A New Channel, Normal Boy, Being Orson, Your Room
Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures